Donation or Garage Sale? Pros and Cons

When you want to sell a house fast, you probably know it’s important to get rid of any and all items you don’t need. If you have a lot of clutter to clear or even if you just want to bring in some extra cash, a yard or garage sale is a great way to accomplish both tasks in a single weekend.

Before hosting your own sale though, make sure you consider the effort involved. It’s not an easy thing to pull off, but a well-planned sale can really pay off when it’s done correctly.

What Should You Sell?

Most people think you should throw everything you don’t want or need in the garage sale. That can be a mistake, though. For one, it requires effort to price each of those items and set them up for the sale. In addition, buyers may lose interest in your sale if it’s too difficult to find what they want – or if it looks like a bunch of junk on the curb. As you’re sorting through your stuff, throw away anything that is damaged beyond repair or is too dirty to clean properly. If it looks like trash, then it probably is.

The rest of the stuff can be put in the sale. Some items sell especially well. Here are a few examples:

Furniture and appliances. To attract buyers to your yard sale, you should have at least a few “big ticket” items, like furniture, appliances or outdoor power equipment.

Tools. Homeowners and DIY enthusiasts love to find good tools for cheap prices.

Kids, toddler, and baby clothes. Sort these items by size to make it easy for shoppers to find what they need.

Sporting equipment. People love a good deal on these items.

Toys and games. These are good impulse purchases when kids visit your sale.

How Should You Prepare?

When you’re planning a yard or garage sale, you should prepare well ahead of time. Here are the best steps to make the process as easy as possible:

Pick a date.In general, early spring is the best time for a sale. Summer and fall are also popular. Winter is normally not a good yard sale season unless you live in a very warm climate.

Sort through your stuff. Now that you have the date picked, it’s time to sort through all of your clutter. Start with one room, and work your way through the whole house. This is a great time to clean and organize your home, too. As you sort, keep items categorized by using lots of labeled boxes.

Get the permit. Many cities require permits for yard sales. Check with your city hall to find out how to get one. If you skip the permit, you could get shut down and face a fine.

Price everything. Because everything is already sorted, it’s easy to price your items. Don’t skip this step. If you ask people to make an offer, it will probably be lower than the price you set yourself. However, don’t price items too high, either. Be reasonable.

Gather supplies. You’ll need some supplies for your sale. Stock up on plastic bags; a table and chairs for a checkout area; a cash box or money bag; extra change (ones, fives, and quarters are usually enough); garment racks and hangers for clothing; poster board, stakes, and markers for signs; and water so you don’t get too thirsty.

Advertise. Set up several signs around your neighborhood with directions to the sale. You can also list it on Facebook yard sale groups in your area or on sites like Craigslist. For big sales, you may want to spend a little cash to publish a classified ad in the local neighborhood paper.

Set up. Once all that’s done, it’s time to set up! Arrange your items so they’re easy to see, set out your signs, and pick a shady spot for the checkout table.

Sell! Don’t be pushy, but do be helpful. Greet your customers, but don’t follow them around or start a sales pitch. They’ll come to you when they have questions.

Clean up. After the sale, you’ll likely have some items leftover. You can either take these back into your home, give them away to friends, or donate them to your local charity.

If you’re interested in selling more than just the stuff in your house, let us know! When you’re ready to sell a house fast, we’ll make you a fast and fair cash offer so you can get a fresh new start wherever you choose. You won’t even have to go through the trouble of a yard or garage sale; 1-844-Exit-As-Is, Inc. will buy your house as-is, stuff included!

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